Pyrophobia
by Bumblehigh07
Summary: The irrational fear of fire, beyond what is considered normal. He was everything she feared, and yet he was the one thing she needed to heal herself.
1. New Friend

Wrong place.

Wrong time.

That's what this was.

Wrong place.

Wrong time.

* * *

She fell into the rhythm easily.

_Load an arrow, breathe, pull back, breathe, fire. Repeat.  
_  
The methodical thumping of the arrows piercing the foam dart a hundred feet away was the only sound in her ears. The familiar pull of the string, the strain against her fingers, the ache in her arms. They all brought her a sense of security. It's a feeling she had not felt in a long while.

_Load an arrow, breathe, pull back, breathe, fire. Repeat._

He cuts through her routine with his gruff voice.

"Abigail. You're going to be late. Get ready."

Abby opened her eyes, blinking as she took in her surroundings. She's in her grandfather's armory, her bow in hand and arrow knocked against the string. He's standing in the doorway, a disapproving frown on his face at his adoptive granddaughter's early morning practice.

Her mother was his adoptive daughter whom had _supposedly_ meant the world to him.

"I told you, Nonno. Don't call me Abigail," She huffed as she grabbed her arrows and resheathed them. She didn't need to look at him to know he was glaring before he moved away and closed the sliding door swiftly.

She didn't have time for worrying over her attitude. She had to get ready for school.  
Which meant the uniforms.

Damn.

She could handle the long sleeve. The tie. The vest even.

But she drew the line at the skirt.

First day of school she was not wearing a skirt. She threw on an old pair of jeans and her boots before getting on everything else. Shirt, vest, tie. The works.  
In honesty, she could make it work. Who cares if she got in trouble for (what the school thought was most likely) improper attire? She slipped her gloves over her hands, the worn leather a familiar hold on her skin as her fingers slid through the holes. They still smelt like smoke.

She grabbed her bag before the memories could come back and fixed her hair, taming the wild brown waves into something more tangible. She caught a glimpse of herself. Spitting image of her mother, same brown hair and teal eyes. She remembered how much she used to love to think she would grow up to be like her.

A child's dream.

Enough reminiscing.

She grabbed her bag and headed back for downstairs, grabbing an orange on her way out as she dashed out the door and unchained her bike from the rack. She pedaled down the busy streets of Tokyo, weaving in an out of traffic and past colorful signs of advertisements. She was fortunate enough to have been taught Japanese when her grandfather took her into custody all those years ago. Did it mean she was thankful for being forced out of New York and into Japan?

No.

She pedaled down into the quieter parts of the city, where the trees were more visible along with the cherry blossom trees that littered their bright pink petals in the street. She slowed down when the crowding group of students got closer and she hopped off the seat. After wheeling and chaining her bike she dug into her orange using her teeth and nails without caring at the looks the others gave her.

She threw away the peels and wiped her hands on her jeans just as the bell rang for class to start. She filed in with the others and hurried to her first class. As soon as she was about to walk in, a hand grabbed her shoulder and she was turned to face The Head of Directory.

The tall man gave her a once over and frowned, dark eyes trained in her as he spoke in quick Japanese.

_"Young lady, that is not appropriate school attire."  
_  
Abby huffed and quickly made up an excuse for her outfit.

_"Sorry, Sir. But my dressings were too small when they came and I was forced to wear these. I'll have to until I get the right sizes reshipped."_

He seemed to believe that, giving a nod before waving her into class.

_"I shall send a notice to your guardian of this situation."  
_  
She thanked the man and bowed respectfully, then walked into class and took the only open seat left. She didn't care about some of the looks she got, or the whispers and brief glances over to her.

Nope. She stopped caring about that. She stopped caring about a lot of things a lot time ago.

_"Excuse me?"_

She was snapped from her thoughts by the new voice and turned her head, coming face to face with a girl with dark hair and bright eyes.

The student smiled at her gently, giving a small wave before saying, _"You must be the transfer. From America, yeah?"_

Abby nodded. _"Yeah. I'm from New York. My names Abby."_ She said with her own wave and a small grin. Her grandfather did tell her to try and get along with the other girls in her school.

The purple haired maiden smiled wider, showing rows of gleaming teeth. _"I'm Kusanagi Yui! But you may call me Yui."_

Yui, as the girl's name would happen to be, seemed like the type Abby didn't always tended to associate herself with. She was too happy, trying too hard to be everyone's friend. But something about her put the brunette at ease and made her grin.

_"Yui. Isn't that a type of weed?"_ She asked while laughing, causing the other to blush some and give her own nervous giggle.

_"Eh, it may be!"_ She cleared her throat and looked at her again while asking. _"I can show you around the school if you'd like. I'm sure it must be hard in a new school. Especially in a completely different country."_

Though she would get around just fine, she had a map and everything, Abby wouldn't mind the company. Plus having someone she could consider a friend already seemed like a win-win. There was just something about Yui that she liked.

_"I'd appreciate it, Yui. Thanks."_

Yui waved off the thanks and simply said it was the polite thing to do with a new student. That if anyone were in the same situation, she was sure that Abby would do the same. The brunette wasn't sure but said nothing.

For the entire day, Abby followed Yui around the Campus. It was bigger than she had imagined, bigger than most schools in New York no doubt. She let the purple-haired girl lead get around and introduce her to her two friends who were quick to take a shining to the transfer student.

At the end of the day, Abby didn't even ride her bike home. Deciding to walk with Yui, she walked her bike next to her with the other on her left. They shared stories about their lives, well Yui did.

The other noticed how reclusive the brunette was about her home life, especially her parents and why she was living with her grandfather. She didn't press though, deciding to drop it and change the subject by asking, _"Hey! Do you want to come spend the afternoon with me? All I have to do is some chores and it would be so much better with someone else there to talk to."_

She pondered her answer, never ceasing her walking but tightening her grip on her handlebars. It would be nice to get away from her Grandpa for a while. She was tired of that scrutinizing gaze of his always on her. Strange to think she remembered once adoring the man whenever he came to visit on rare occasions with candy for her.

_"Know what, Yui? I think I will."_

The taller female clapped her hands together happily, beaming at the other as her amber eyes seemed to glow. _"Oh, that's fantastic! You can meet Mama, and papa and my brother as well."_ Her over excitedness actually caused Abby to full out laugh, a sound she hadn't made in a while.

Yui joined in and they were just a couple of friends enjoying themselves and it was good.

It was a good feeling. A great feeling.

Another twenty minutes spent getting Abby's bike up the stone steps, and parking it next to the shed and then she was with Yui again. The other let her have a minute to change out of her uniform, sporting a simple black tee when she came out of the bathroom. They talked while helping her mother, joked while spraying each other with water from the sink.

_"Yui!"_ Her mother called from the front of the store. _"Can you go to grab me the sack of flour, please?"_

_"Sure, Mama!"_ Yui said after turning off the water. The two girls went outside and to one of the storehouses, Abby heaving the bag onto her shoulder with ease. Archery made her shoulder and arm muscles lean but strong, the hundred pound bag of flour hardly a weight on her.

_"I'm impressed!"_ Yui said as she pointed to the sack. _"All my years of sword practice and I can't even do that yet!"_

Abby shrugged with a grin and fixed the bag on her shoulder before walking out, pausing to let Yui lock the storehouse.

It was then she heard it.

The low humming from somewhere. Almost like a generator but not as loud or mechanical. She looked around for the source of the noise, her eyes landing on a different storehouse with a bright blue light filtering from beneath the doors.

_"Uh..Yui?"_ She called as she set the flour down. The other turned and made a noise of surprise from seeing the light. They approached it carefully, pulling open the door to reveal a long thin box on a work bench in the room.

The box was open and floating above it was a blade of intricate makings. It was beautiful, the sword no doubt would have gleamed if polished correctly and handled with care. But now it glowed an eerie blue coloring, low hushed whispered making their way into their ears and calling them forwards.

As if under a sort of spell, the two slowly inched forwards, Yui's arm outstretching to touch the sword. The sudden sound of wind in their ears brought the girls out of their trance too late.

The sword illuminated everything in a blinding blue and in a bright flash of light, the girls were gone.


	2. The Academy

_What happened?_

Dark, aquamarine eyes fluttered open only to snap close a moment later from the blinding sunlight flitting over her face. A groan of pain bubbled in her throat as she sat up, one hand supporting her throbbing head and rubbing to alleviate the pain. She pushed herself to her feet, holding onto the stone pillar to her left for leverage because her knees felt like jelly and she was afraid if she fell again she wouldn't get up. Abby lift her eyes to the scene in front and her-

And froze.

What lay beneath where she stood was the most beautiful garden she had ever seen. The lawns a lush, vibrant green and the flowers in full bloom. There stood a pavilion directly in the middle with stone steps leading up to it. There appeared to be someone in the pavilion but she was unable to see them, too far and too high up to make out any specific details

How in the world did she get there?

And where was Yui?

Distracted by her new friend's safety, Abby turned away from the window and ran down the hall. She needed to find Yui. Who knows what could have happened to her when they were knocked unconscious?

She found a winding staircase of stone steps, hurrying down as quickly as her feet would allow. All she could focus on was finding the purple haired lass, all other priorities being pushed to the back of her mind. She never saw the uneven step near the bottom until it was too late.

Abby's foot caught on the raised half of the step, yelping as she went stumbling for a moment. Her eyes screwed closed as she waited to hit the hard concrete again but the contact never came. She was suddenly grabbed by the waist and pulled out of her folly seconds before impact. She was pressed up against someone's chest, the stranger holding her tight and secure in their arms.

The first thing she registered was the heat. It poured off whoever had caught her in waves and enveloped her in warmth.

The second was his voice when he spoke.

"Hey! Watch where you're goin' next time, kitten. Can't have people falling down stairs every which way, ya' know."

She opened her eyes and looked up, coming face to face with a man with the brightest red hair she had ever seen and ice blue eyes. He had a sharp, pointed nose and the smile that read trouble for all those who saw it. He was handsome by anyone's standards, and she might have been a bit embarrassed by her fall if she weren't so distracted by Yui's whereabouts. So instead of relishing in the man's hold, she pushed herself away and out of his arms.

"Sorry! I'm looking for someone and I have to go!" She said quickly before running past him. She vaguely heard him calling for her to wait but she was long gone before she could figure out what it was he needed. What she needed was find Yui. If she was even here.

"Yui?" She called down another hallway. "Yui!" When she heard no response she kept going, her footsteps muffled by the carpeted floor as she ran. Halfway down one corridor she saw the purple haired girl outside near the pavilion she saw back in the room. She sighed in relief before heading towards her and the blonde man she was talking too. He was also something good on the eyes.

"Yui!" The older girl turned at hearing her name and beamed when she saw her friend.

"Abigail! I'm so glad you're alright!"

Abby slowed when she got near, flicking her eyes between Yui and the man with the long blonde hair and sea blue eyes.

"Abigail, this is Balder. Balder, Abigail."

The man smiled gently as he shook the brunette's hand. "That's a beautiful name; Abigail."

The compliment caught her off guard, forcing her to stumble over her words before finally coming up with a reply for him. She could feel the blood in her cheeks warming from embarrassment.

"U-Uh, thank you. But everyone just calls me Abby."

Balder smiled wider as he laughed gently. "Alright then, Abby!" He said. "It's a pleasure to meet both you and your friend here." He looked back over to Yui after taking her hand in his.

"She has such soft and fragile hands. Would you mind if we..stay like this for a while?" Yui looked happy to remain where they were in the garden holding hands with the handsome man and she nodded to show her consent.

Despite her notion as the third wheel, Abby was happy to stay there too, just glad to have found her friend safe and sound in this strange place. However the peace was disrupt when she suddenly heard skin slapping skin and Yui yelping. She quickly went into defensive mode, getting in front of Yui to protect her from whomever it was that hit her.

She was met with a familiar face. Blue eyes that were kind and playful just moments before were suddenly harsh and cold as the redhead from before stood in front of Balder and snarled at Yui.

"What are you doing?!"

"I didn't.." Yui tried to defend herself only for the other to ignore her and mutter something to the blonde. Something about Greeks and the place itself.  
She didn't care if it was a misunderstanding, the brunette had zero tolerance for harm to her friends. Even something as simple as a little hand slap.  
"Excuse me!" She huffed, gaining the redhead's surprised expression before he had a little shit eating grin.

"It's not polite to hit people! And I suggest you apologize before I make you do so!" She was baring her teeth in a snarl and she could just barely see Balder's shock in the corner of her eye. Bit her entire focus was on the redhead who bent down to look at her properly, hearing him chuckle making her blood boil.  
"Oi, what a feisty little kitten you are!" He laughed. "I'd be careful, a fiery temper likes yours could get someone in an awful lot of trouble."  
She was taken aback by his response before she was narrowing her eyes dangerously.

"Is that a threat?"

"A-Abby! Please, there's no need for violence if any kind!" Yui said, taking her friend by the shoulders and moving her back. "We just want to know what this place is is all."

"Oh?" The other questioned as he looked at Yui. "You're awfully curious."

The violet haired girl became flustered at the lack of personal space, stuttering out her words again. "N-No, I-"

"You want to know?" He asked, to which she quickly nodded.

Then he was leaning in to whisper in her ear quietly. "Well then...if you want to know, why not find out for yourself?"

Yui pushed him away at the answer, the man laughing at her reaction as if it were all just a joke to him.

"I'm mean! So I won't tell you." He took his friend up by the shoulders and turned to leave. "Let's go, Balder."

Balder whined out a bit before the redhead looked over his shoulder and aimed his grin at the brunette.

"Learn to control that temper, kitten! Not that I mind, of coarse! You're adorable when you're mad!" He belted out another laugh as he dug in his pocket and flicked a small piece of candy to Yui. "Here!"

Yui caught the candy, arching an eyebrow as to why he would give her such a thing. "Huh?"

Before she could question it more, the candy grew triple it's size and exploded in a big pink cloud with a loud pop, leaving both girls coughing in it's suffocating contents.

When it cleared the men were nowhere to be found.

"They disappeared?" Abby asked, looking around. Her friend's answer was cut off by a low ringing voice in her head.

_Yui Kusanagi. Abigail Mckenzie._

"That voice!" Yui gasped, having have heard it as well. "I heard it back then!"

She never had time to explain before her necklace began glowing brightly, just like back in the storehouse. Both girls were enveloped in the bright flash, their visions whitening out for a second or two before they reappeared in front of huge wooden doors to some kind of office.

_Enter Yui Kusanagi and Abigail McKenzie._

They looked at each other out of fear before Yui took hold of one of the handles and pushed the door open, her boots echoing on the floor as they walked in. That same voice from before echoed in the space from the older gentleman in the chair across them.

"Thank you for coming, you two. I've been waiting for you. Come here."

As if their legs had minds of their own, the girls slowly padded across the floor towards the blonde man sitting against the windows in shadows. Who was he? And how did he know their names?

"Did you bring us here?" Yui asked.

"Yes."

"Who are you?"

Finally he stood to his full height, easily towering over the girls even on the steps before him. In his hand be held a staff with a gold and silver piece adorning it.

"My name is Zeus. I am the god who rules the Heavens."

"Zeus?" Abby asked. "But...those are just..myths. Aren't they?"

"Myths?" The God chuckled deeply, looking at the young girl with bright golden eyed filled with amusement. "Does this place seem like a myth, Abigail? Did any of the gods you met seem like myths?"

"N-No, It's just...I've never met a god before...is all."

He lift his staff and let it pound against the floor, his entire being glowing brightly and changing until a child stood before them, two shocked sounds escaping the girls.

"Changing my form is a simple matter," He said, his voice lighter and younger. "Shall I call down thunder as well? Or have I proven myself?"

"Th-Th-That's alright!" Yui said, waving her hands wildly. "We believe you!"

He nodded with a small little smile before his demeanor changed to one of seriousness.

"Yui Kusanagi. I summoned you here to play a part in my plan."

"Your plan?"

"Since ancient times, Gods have been beings that must both love humanity and be worshipped by them. However, the connection between the heavens, ruled by gods, and the human realm had grown lamentably weak."

He had begun walking down the steps and behind a pillar, reappearing as he was before he changed to a child.

"At this rate, a terrible future is inevitable. That is why I have brought together the gods who struggle the most with their connection to humanity, to educate them."

"Educate?"

"Yes. You have already met five of them." He waved his staff towards the ceiling and bellowed. "Behold!"

Holographic images appeared before them, scene of the gods at their own times.

"The Norse gods Balder and Loki."

Abby huffed and decided not to pay attention to them. At least to one of them anyway.

"The Japanese gods Tsukuyomi and Susanoo. The Greek god Hades." He looked to the girls now. "What are humans? What is love? By making them understand these things, a terrible future can be avoided. That is why I created this school. This Academy of the Gods."

He pointed his staff to her. "Yui Kusanagi, you will learn alongside them, and teach them about humanity."

"You can't be serious!" Yui gasped. "You practically kidnap us, and now this?"

"You do not decide. I do."

"That's tyrannical! I can't do that!"

"I shall not release you from this world until you have fulfilled my plan," Zeus said, ignoring Yui's glare.

"I still don't think I can do it! Excuse me!" She stormed past him and out the doors, her anger making her forget her friend there with the Greek god who turned his attention on her then.

"As for you," He spoke softer this time, looking her over before continuing. "I brought you here to learn as well. In your short life you have forgotten what it means to love. Never in all my years have I seen a young heart so broken and filled with such gate for the world around her. You, Abigail, must remember what it means to find joy in the company of others."

He was not sure what it was that he was expecting from her, but the harsh frown that graced her pretty face was not it.

"That's easy for you to say being an all powerful God! You can have everything you want with the snap of your fingers! Why should I try to love? Everyone I love has been taken from me all my life! Why should I learn to love again?"

He was silent for a while, looking at the small human before him with curious eyes. She had an aura of anger and morose around her that has shadowed her in her early years. Such a fragile soul hardened by hate and cruel times. He sent out his heart to the girl.

"Yes. I know, Abigail. I know about your mother and father." This aroused a look of shock out of the girl, aquamarine eyes widening with a gasp.  
"H-How could you? How could you possibly know what happened?!"

"The largest spike of sadness drew my attention to you that day. I know about what happened, as well as how you got your scar." He looked to her arm which she quickly hid from his view despite both her arms being covered.

"S-Screw you! How dare you bring that up! Don't ever speak to me again!" She snapped, tears in her eyes before she ran from the room. She had to fight back the painful memories coming back to mind, pushing them back down behind the locks she kept them under. It was better to hide the pain than face it. Facing it meant she was still too weak.

She found herself back in the gardens, collapsing under a tree and pushing the palms of her hands up against her eyes, the leather of her gloves rough against her eyelids but she couldn't care. She was busy fighting off the memory of fear and pain.

And fire.


	3. Shackles Aren't Just for Gods

A little girl sat in a small chair that was in a small kitchen that was in a small apartment. She was scribbling away on some paper, trying to make something that looked like a castle with a dragon.

She wasn't paying attention and the startled squeal that left her when her father picked her up suddenly was the result of that. But she laughed with joy and held onto her daddy as he hugged her back.

"What's my little princess drawing over here?" He asked, looking down at the scrawls of grey and red crayons. His daughter beamed and picked up the paper to show him.

"It's a dragon gaurding a castle full of treasure!" She giggled. The man showed a face of understanding and nodded.

"Oh yeah! I see it now! That's amazing, Abby." He kissed the child on her forehead before setting her back down on the chair. "Mommy's almost done with dinner, so don't go sneaking any snacks, young lady!"

Abby gave a very militarial salute from her chair, face as stern as a child's could get.

"Yes, sir!"

A second of silence was broken by father and daughter breaking down in fits of laughter from the ridiculousness of their banter. Then he left her to her coloring and trailed back to his wife currently at the stove. The lights were flickering overhead and he frowned with a shake of his head.

"The landlord better fix all this faulty electricity or there's gonna be a damn fire one of these days."

* * *

Abby pushed back the memories, fighting back tears and forcing herself into numbness. She breathed deeply, letting the smell of the grass fill her mind and distract her. In. Out. In. Out. She slowly unfurled her hands where they were tightly curled in the grass. Her fingers ached with her grip and green stained the pads where the grass broke and rubbed on her.

She was okay now. She couldn't feel anything. There was no pain. There was no anger or sadness.

There was only the sweet numbness that told her she was okay. That she could go another day without breaking down. That she could still hold in those eleven years of emotions.

She was okay.

With another deep breath she pushed herself to her feet, dusting her jeans of and trying to wipe some of the grass stains off to no prevail. That was fine though. She was sure there was washing facilities somewhere in the garden. Then she turned and slowly made her way back into the building, wandering the halls for somewhere to go. She let her body walk but she herself was detached, her consciousness away but still connected to her soul so she could return to reality once her trance wore off.

Not many things could pull her from her detachment, but the deep voice of Zeus was one.

"I see everyone has arrived."

Abby was shot back into herself, blinking in shock at the sudden reverberating tone of the God. She was at the main staircase with everyone else, and across she could see Yui with a short haired male. What his was name again?

She couldn't remember.

But she watched as Zeus climbed down the steps and stood, subtly showing that even when they were all together he was above all of them.

"Welcome to my garden, my academy...my beloved students."

"Cut the crap!" Takeru snarled to the older God. "You're behind all this?"

The blonde ignored his question and rallied off the names of the gods once again.

"Japanese God of the Sea, Susanoo. Japanese God of the Moon, Tsukuyomi. Norse God of Light, Balder. God of Fire, Loki-"

Fear reared it's ugly head around once again to the female in the shape of a chill rolling down her spine and her muscles tensing underneath her skin.

"-God of Thunder, Thor. Greek God of The Underworld, Hades. God of Fertility, Dionysos. And God of the Sun Apollon. You will all learn about humans in order to revive the ancient link between the Gods and humanity."

"Do you really think we'll just do as you say?" Loki scoffed him place on the upper level. He scoff was followed once more by Takeru's angry barking.

"Return my brother and me to our world! Or else..." As soon as the words left his mouth, the Sea God was encircled by a shallow stream of water, his anger only sharpened by the glow of his power.

"There will be hell to pay!" Loki laughed as he conjured a ball of fire within his grasp. He cackled as he leapt from the railing, the other God following suit in their attack towards Zeus. The Lord of Skies was not deterred by their childish foolery, lifting his staff and slamming it on the ground, lifting up a wave of his own ability and sending them flying back towards the ground.

"If you use your divine powers indiscriminately, this academy will be destroyed. Therefore..." Zeus lift his staff once again, a mass of energy swirling into a orb just above it before it erupted into small bursts of light that trailed their ways to the gods.

An assortment of jewelry appeared somewhere on the bodies of the gods; Rings, bracelets, anklets, earrings, necklaces, and armbands.

"These shackles seal your divine powers," Zeus clarified the use of the objects. "No one can defy me here. These shackles are the proof!"

"That's enough!" The redhead snarled and he attempted to throw a blaze at the other only for sparks of embers to spit out of his fingers tips and dissolve into nothing.

"You will study here. When you earn the right to graduate, your shackles will remove themselves." He gave a barking order and swung his staff towards the ceiling, bring down forth an empty glass marble.

"Once you understand the human heart, this container will be filled. You have one year. In other words; if you cannot fill it within a year, you will be trapped in this garden forever."

Several sounds of anger and shock went through the room, another shout escaping Takeru from his place on the floor.

"This isn't funny!"

"Zeus," Hades called to his brother, "That's tyrannical!"

"I shall not entertain protests!" Zeus said above all the noise. "It has already been decided. Thoth..."

At the sound of his name,a dark skinned man with sandy blonde hair appeared from the shadows of another corridor, his school jacket billowing behind him where it was draped over his shoulders.

"I am the Egyptian God of knowledge, Thoth," He said, voice stern and full of authority.

"Your other classmates," Zeus pulled the attention back to himself. "Will be these many spirits." At the resounding bang of his staff on the hard floor, empty halls were suddenly filled. Silence was cut with the sharp knife of conversation. Abby had to move out of the way with a quiet yelp to avoid bumping into one of the many new students.

"Yui Kusanagi. Abby McKenzie."

Both girls looked up at the sound of their names to the God above them, standing at attention to what he would want of them.

"Your responsibilities are to lead the Gods graduation. Is that clear?"

Both gave a nod of understanding.

"Tomorrow morning you will gather in the auditorium and prepare for the afternoon's entrance ceremony," Thoth said before turning on his heel away from them. "That is all. You are dismissed for today."

Before he left he glanced over his shoulder. "Kusanagi. Abigail. Come with me."

Both started after him not a second sooner. They would rather not see an upset Thoth their first day. He lead them down one of the many hall ways of the school, silent for a good long while save for the heavy clicking of his boots on the tiles.

"Zeus modeled this academy after human schools. All necessary facilities have been provided. There's even food available in the cafeteria."

"Excuse me," Abby said to the man, face turned into another frown. "But isn't this kinda sudden? How do you if we even-" She tried to stop but he just kept going, causing a scowl on her face as she ran to keep up, showing up at his side.

"Isn't he being a bit too willful, even for a god? Our families must be worried about us!" She was caught off guard by the God's amused chuckle and the small smirk on his face.

"Don't be concerned," He mused. "Once everyone graduates, you'll return to the time that you came from through the power of Chronos, God of time."

"That's still not an excuse to do whatever he-" She was cut off by Thoth suddenly moving in very close, forcing her up against the wall in his arm blocking the young human. Her reflex was to push her hands against his chest, keeping him from getting any closer and getting any further into her personal space.

"Zeus has the future of both humanity and the Gods in mind." His voice had dropped into a warning tone for her, but he could tell that this human was holding back. He knew he if pushed her any further, took one step too far for her comfort, and she would lash out.

So he backed away with a huff, looking to the worried Yui and catching a glimpse at her neck.

"The Sword of Heaven's Gathering Clouds. Eventually, that sword will guide your way. Take good care of it." He began walking again, knowing will full intent they would follow, while muttering under his breath. "Not that you could remove it."

Thoth lead them to their dorms which were to the right of the grounds whilst the men's were to the left. He told them he would be within the Academy's Library should they ever need him. Then he left them to their own devices.

Once safe in her dorm, Abby's knees buckles and she fell against the door, letting go of the breath she'd no idea she was holding. Her palms were clammy, her skin pale, and sweat trickled down the back of her neck as she trembled. Thoth was a force she did not want to rekon with. He was strong. He had wits. He was intimidating.

He reminded her of her grandfather.

She brought her knees to her chest and dropped her head as she willed herself to stay calm, to stay numb. But the last hour had beaten down against her consciousness and her emotional stability. Memories that she had locked away for so long were coming back and with them the tsunami of pain that should have been let out years ago. Instead of doing so, she let the hurt build until it could consume her in an instant.

She was poisoning her mind, killing her own personality.

"Hey! What's got you so upset?" She jumped at the sudden voice cutting through her thoughts, looking around for anyone but her room remained empty as it was.

"Down here!" At the order she looked and there was a little yellow and white, patched up doll beaming up at her with mix-matched green and pink button eyes.

"W-Who are you?" She swallowed to clear back the lump in her throat and to keep her voice from cracking anymore than it already have.

"I'm Melissa!" He said. "I'm here to look after you and Kutanagi."

"You mean Kusanagi..."

"Yeah! Kutanagi!"

The girl sighed before getting back to her feet and watching as Melissa scurried up the back of a chair to stand on the desk. "So what do you mean "take care of me"?"

"Well, in this garden, I am your Upper class-men. I'll take good care of you! When you're troubled, come and talk to me and when you want to cry, you can borrow my shoulder. And you seem to be in need of it right about now!" He sat down on the edge of the table and pat the chair, watching as she took a seat.

"So tell me, Annie, what's got you so upset?"

She found some amusement in his confusion of their names. Just not enough to smile.

"It's Abby, and it doesn't matter what's got me upset. It happened a long time ago and I've learned to deal with it." The doll hummed as he nodded in thought.

"Uh huh. By "dealing" you don't mean talking to someone about it and getting emotional support, do you?" He took her silence as his answer. "Yup! That's what I thought, Annie!"

"Abby."

"I can tell you don't want to talk about it yet, but whatever you got held up inside won't go away. It's only going to make your heart grow heavier. And you seem like a nice kid! You don't deserve to have a heavy heart!" He gently pat her knuckle with his stump of a paw. "I'm gonna go say hi to Kutanagi, but don't be afraid to come and find me when you want to talk, okay?"

With that, Melissa hopped down and scampered his way to the door. "Bye, Annie!" He called, giving her a little stitched grin before disappearing out into the hall.

The human sighed heavily and mumbled under her breath. "It's Abby.."

* * *

"This isn't funny!" Takeru snarled later that night, pacing within the men's dorm commons with his brother sitting at the table behind him. He turned to Tsukuyomi. "Brother, I'll find a way out of this place."

"But we have to graduate," The moon God countered his sibling gently, giving Usamaro a soft scratch behind his ears.

"Don't listen to what that old man says. Right, Usamaro?" He pet the rabbit with a soft smile. He did plan on finding some way off the Garden. One way or another he would.

The rest of the gods were littered about within the dorm. Apollon, Dionysos, and Hades were by the hot spring, taking a moment to relax after the day's events whilst Balder, Loki, and Thor were in the kitchen. Balder had found a track suit and was modeling it off at the top of the stairs, his voice full of fascination and wonder over the human culture.

"He's fitting in well."

"Yeah." Thor was quiet before looking to his younger brother. "Now that we are stuck in this garden, are we..-?"

"No. It doesn't change what we must do."

The God of Thunder gave a heavy sigh but nodded in understanding. "So that is our destiny as well?" He didn't need the other to answer the question for he already knew. "I'm going to go to turn in for the night. It's been a long day." He stood from his chair and bid his brother goodnight before leaving for his room. Balder had left to go try on more human clothing, leaving the God of Fire to his own thoughts.

He sat there picking at his nails for a bit, making a mental note to redo his lacquer once he got the time. Once his boredom threatened to drive him to insanity he removed himself from the room and began wandering. Zeus never said anything about a curfew and he wasn't tired yet. He found the occasional spirit in his walking, not bothering to engage in conversation with any of them. He was just about ready to head back to his dorm and bug one of the others before movement caught his eye and he glanced out the window. Across the courtyard he could see the figure moving, her long hair tossed back over her shoulder and arms wrapped around herself to keep warm.

Curiosity forced his hand into following her to see where she was going, keeping at a safe distance so she wouldn't see him prematurely. He figured she was just walking until he saw her head for some sort of gazebo up on a hill underneath all the stars.

Abby took a deep breath of the night air, hoping it would steady her anxiety and clear away the buzzing in her head. A part of her was regretting not admitting to Melissa just how broken she had been for the last ten plus years. How she could feel the grasp on her mentality being gnawed away. But reminders of what happens when emotions run wild and when she tries to get help were evident on her places only she allowed her eyes to see. So when she let her fingers drag over her left wrist and palm, covered by her gloves and the sleeve of her shirt, she found a bitter note settling in her mind.

She was strong enough to handle the past. It was done and done. It happened years ago.

So why did it still hurt?

"Awful late to be here by yourself, kitten."

She made a confused sound at the new voice behind her, whipping around and finding the owner of the voice leaning up against a support, a strand of his long red hair twirled between his fingers. He moved his eyes up to her and his grin settled on his face like it was meant to be. A crash of thoughts went through her, her limbs confused at what to do.

She wanted to run and yet stay. She wanted to tell him to go away while let him draw closer.

She settled on curling her one hand into a fist as she sent a frown his way. "What do you want, Loki?" The fire God let out a small laugh as he folded his arms behind his head, grin stretching wider.

"What? Can't a guy just be out for some air? Is that such a crime?"

She could feel the flush of embarrassment fill up her cheeks as she looked away, brows furrowing and muttering an apology. The warmth of foolishness was stolen when the wind picked up, throwing her hair off to the side and sending a chill through her. He saw the shiver and the way she pulled her arms around herself tighter. He saw the way her hair framed her face for a moment from the wind, dark eyes looking more sea-foam from the glow of the moon.

Loki pushed himself off the pillar, walking towards her and shrugging off his jacket. "Here."

"Hey! What are you-" She cut herself off at the sudden heat that enveloped her when he put his sweater around her shoulders, unable to hold the sigh of content that rolled off her lips. She immediately wished she could have when she heard him laugh again.

"I'm just being nice. Is that a crime too?" He sat down on the stone bench, bringing up one leg and resting his arm on top. "If it is, than haul me off, officer!" He gave her nothing short of a Cheshire grin when she gave a cute little huff and turned away from him and even scooted away some inches. He still had a good enough view of her to see the way his sweater practically swallowed her up, and the way she pulled it tighter around herself.

"You're not so tough, kitty cat."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He leaned back until he was laying on the bench, closing his eyes before continuing. "You act like you're tough shit, but I can see through the mask." He cracked an eye open and just as he thought she was looking at him. He smirked and closed his eye again.

"Yup. You're open like a book whether you like it or not. It's written all over your face.

"What is?" She sounded much closer and he opened his eyes to reveal she was hovering over him, that cute pout on her face making her nose scrunch up and her brows furrow.

He grinned wide and proud. "You like me."

Her reaction was instantaneous, bristling with rage and hissing at him.

"I would never you-you!" He was full blown laughing before she threw his sweater at him, stomping back towards the Academy with him calling after her.

"You still need to work on that temper, kitten!"

He folded his sweater in his lap as he watched him, clicking his tongue over the roof of his mouth. "Hmmph. Maybe this place won't be so bad if you're here," He said to himself. He was always one for jokes and trickery. And sometimes it was hard for him to define the lines of joking and flirting.

Something told him this meeting was something more of the latter.


	4. What Happened?

"Annie! Wake up, Annie!"

Abby sat up with a start in bed, eyes wide and looking around wildly for whatever disturbed her of her sleep. In doing so, she had accidently thrown Melissa off the bed and the poor doll ended up on the floor with a yelp.

"Ay! I was just trying to help," He whined as he stood up and rubbed his soor rump. He was going to feel that tomorrow. Abby blinked before relaxing and rubbing her eyes with a yawn.

"What time is it?"

"Time for you to meet Kutanagi and prepare for the entrace ceremony!" The brunette paused at his answer and it took her a moment to remember where they were. Oh right, Zeus' garden because a couple of Gods needed to learn the meaning of love and she-

"I don't think I'm going."

"Wha-?!" Melissa's jaw dropped as he stared at her. "Why not? If you don't show up then who will help Kutanagi set up for the ceremony? You want to begin this year off right don't you?"

Yes, begin a year of forced schooling with the man who had kidnapped herself and her friend as their headmaster and their teacher another a-hole who did not know the meaning of personal space. Because that is exactly the type of thing she wants to prepare for.

"I'm sure Yui will persuade some of the Gods to help. She doesn't need me."

As soon as the words left her there was a knock at her door and a familiar voice sang out from behind.

"Abby-Abby! Are you awake? It's time to prepare for the entrance ceremony!"

Abigail sighed as Apollon's over excited voice and slowly climbed out of bed, opening the door to give him a weary smile that should not even be considered a smile. "Alright, Apollo. I'm up and I'll be there after I wash up."

The blonde smiled brightly at her and seemed to bounce on his toes in joy. "Fantastic! I'll tell Fairy that you'll meet us in the gymnasium! Don't take too long!" Then he was scampering back down the hall most likely to go tell Yui of his success.

"Not going, eh?" Melissa smirked in smug victory as Abby scowled down at him.

"Quiet, you. I couldn't say no to Apollo. It wouldn't be right."

"Why do you say his name like that?"

She blinked before realizing that she had been using the Americanized version of the God's name without noticing. He didn't seem to mind it that much or he had not noticed either.

"Oh. It was the way I learned it. It's an old habit."

"Ai. Well, I'll leave you to get ready. I expect to hear good things when you come back!" The doll grinned before he left for his little house back in Yui's room. Abby sighed again as her shoulders sagged in defeat. There was no turning back now. She showered and brushed her teeth then dried her hair before she was throwing open her closet and catching sight of the uniform.

"What is with all the skirts?" She whined, eying the garment with distaste. She begrudingly pulled everything on minus the jacket, finding it a bit too much and the belt was hard to work anyway. The boots were uncomfortable, the heel too high for her liking and she was sure her feet were bleeding by the time she arrived at the gymnasium.

"Abby, you showed up!" Yui greeted her cheerily, looking like she completely belonged in her own uniform. So why did Abby feel so out of place?

"Well, it was hard not to when Apollo drops by your door." Oops, there she went doing it again.

"I'm glad you decided to. I was worried you were planning on not showing up."

"No. Why would I do that?" Abby mentally kicked herself at her own verbal irony, forcing her smile more as Yui returned it with something more real.

"Let's get to work!" Their small group quickly set into making the preparations for the Entrance Ceremony; Setting up Chairs and the podium, dusting and cleaning, and hanging the streamers and banners. Balder tripped and dropped a bucket of water that they had to mop up once more. Humerous albeit adding more work to their already hefty chore list. Abby found it nice to smile, even a little bit, about something.

By the end, the Gym looked fantastic and ready for any kind of Ceremony to be held in it.

"Wow, we actually got that done faster than I thought." Abby glanced around at their work with a small nod of approval then she turned and began her way to the door. "This was fun..I guess."

"Aren't you going to stay for the ceremony?" Yui called after her, jogging and catching her elbow. "You helped us set this all up! You have to stay and be present!" Abby blinked and looked at her in realization.

"Oh.. you were serious about this.. look, Yui, no offense but I don't really like ceremonies."

The purple haired girl frowned, brows furrowing as she removed her hand but balled her fists at her chest. "No one ever does. But we need to attend if we want to return home! Abby, please.. the others are already refusing to show up."

It did not surprise Abby that a few choice gods would choose not to show up. They did not want to be there anymore than she did. But Abby supposed she owed Yui the fact that someone else from her world was with her and that she was not alone. She owed her that much.

With a sigh of reluctance (or perhaps defeat?) Abby agreed to attend.

That was how she found herself where she is, sitting in a chair nestled between two gods whose names she has already forgotten, one of them had platinum violet hair with a blank expression while the other had a mess of burnt red with bright emerald eyes. She pulled the her dress shirt sleeve down out of nervous habit, covering her left arm and palm as best as she could. She was glad she was able to keep her gloves.

The leather still smelled like smoke.

_Don't think about it. Don't let it consume you. Numb yourself. Numb means you're okay. You're okay._

"Abigail McKenzie." At the sound of Thoth calling her name, she straightened and replied.

"Here!" She caught his glance for a second before he went back to the paper to continue. He must have expected her not to show up. He was almost right.

* * *

_She could not breathe. There was something suffocating her, stealing the air from her ungs and replacing it with a thick smog that choked her and left her gasping for breath. She is lying on the ground because that's what she was supposed to do when the room got warm and the smoke got black like this. _

_She woke up from her dream after hearng sirens outside and feeling much to warm under her covers. Though it was night time and there were no lights on in her home, everything was brightly illuminated and glowing with the light of something red and hot. _

_Very, very hot. _

_She had run out to find her mom and her daddy but she couldn't get past the kitchen, where a bright red monster sat. It was spitting at her, hissing and crackling and popping and making the whole apartment unbearably warm. It was blocking the path to her parents' room. She tried yelling at it, telling it to go away and leave her mommy and daddy alone. But the monster only got angry and it spat at her again, sending a ball of fiery spit at her and she raised her arm to defend herself. _

_The spit ball __**burned**__ as it hit her pajamas and caused the fabric to sizzle away and bit into her skin with a pain she had never known before. She screamed and dropped and clutched her arm close to her. It hurt. It hurt so bad. She would only ever be able to say it was an indescribable white flash of agony that burnt her flesh. _

_There was someone knocking at the door, then they were knocking it down and the smoke filtered out for only a moment. They called if anyone was in there and she screamed again, for help, for her daddy. For someone. _

_Someone was picking her up, another monster of bright yellow and silver that wore a mask with tubing everywhere and bug-like eyes. She wanted to fight but her arm hurt so much and she couldn't breathe and she was just _so scared.

_Suddenly she's outside and it is cold and she can breathe but not really. She cannot see and from someone where off in her vision, there are flickers of orange and a hellish red and the sound of something crackling. There's a woman over her, but it is not her mother. She is wearing a blue uniform with a bright red cross on the pocket, a light is shining in her eyes and the woman is speaking to someone else. _

_"Barel-...-scious...-oke ventilat-...sever-..-urn on her arm...parents-...-in the fire.."_

_There is a large bandaid on her left arm, but the pain is still there. It still hurts and she wants to cry. So she does. She asks for her mommy and her daddy. She asks where they are. Where she is. _

_"You're safe," The nice lady says as she gently pushes a needle into her unbandaged arm. It takes the pain away and makes her very sleepy. "You're okay."_

_I'm okay... _


End file.
